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News from the Society
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The
ISHS Newsletter—The Humorous Times
From
1988 through Winter 2005, the ISHS Newsletter appeared as
a separate section of the Society's journal, HUMOR: International
Journal of Humor Research. Its first two editors were
Alleen Nilsen (Arizona State University), who served from
1988 through 2003, and Amy Carrell (University of Central
Oklahoma), who served for 2004 and 2005.
In
Fall 2005, Ralph Mueller (University of Fribourg) became the
third editor of the ISHS Newsletter, and under his direction
the ISHS Newsletter has a new name—The Humorous Times—and
a new look. As an e-newsletter, The Humorous Times
continues to report on international activities, but it also
includes special features on humor research as well as squibs
and short humorous writings.
Current
ISHS members receive the the ISHS newsletter electronically
and can access it online here on the News page of the ISHS Website.
Current ISHS members can also access past ISHS Newsletters in
the Newsletter Archive also found
on this page.
Click
Here for the Fall 2008 Issue of The Humorous Times.
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2009
ISHS Conference in Long Beach, California
The 2009 Conference of International Society for Humor Studies is now over, and it was an unqualified smash! This interdisciplinary conference was held on the campus of CSULB from June 17-20, 2009, and drew 150 academics and professionals in the field of humor from 17 different countries. We began on Wednesday with a Teaching with Humor workshop facilitated by Mary Lay Morrison. That evening we held our opening mixer in the Japanese Garden which drew raves from our conference guests about the beauty of the setting.
Thursday and Friday were the presentations on topics ranging from the fear of being laughed at to the therapeutic applications of humor; humor in literature, arts, and entertainment; the intersection of humor with race, gender, sexuality and identity; from humor theory to its application in stand-up comedy; humor through the lifespan, as we develop our sense of humor as children, are educated and join the workforce, and eventually face our mortality; and of course, humor as a communication strategy.Thursday night featured a hilarious comedy contest showcasing the comedic talents of conference participants and CSULB community members. For Saturday’s closing brunch, we were entertained by Time magazine columnist, Hollywood comedy writer and frequent talk show guest Joel Stein, who shared his thoughts on the challenges of being funny (and why humor scholars are not!). Conference guests then were welcomed to join bus tours of Los Angeles or the Getty Museum.I have received nothing but glowing feedback about the conference organization, our campus, and our students. I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for the range of support I received from colleagues and students in the Communication Studies Department.
You can view pictures from the entire conference at www.photobucket.com/ishs2009.
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ISHS
is pleased to announce the continuation of special members-only
book discounts from Mouton DeGruyter, Wayne State University
Press, and Transaction Publishers. For 2010, ISHS members can receive sizable discounts on books
in Mouton deGruyter's Humor Research series as well as 20% discounts on other books published by Mouton deGruyter. Members also receive 35% discount
on books in Wayne State University's Humor in Life and
Letters series and 25% discounts on books in Transaction Publishers' Humor Studies series.
Members,
you can contact the ISHS Executive Secretary to receive
your Wayne State and Transaction Publishers promotion codes. Click here to see a
list of selected Mouton-DeGruyter, Wayne State, and Transaction's Humor series books.
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The
ISHS Scholarship Fund
In
2006, Holy Names University in Oakland, California established
a special ISHS fund, so that the Society could receive contributions
to support and recognize graduate students and notable humor
researchers. Scholarships may be awarded to help a student
or scholar complete important humor research or to present
at one of our annual conferences. An Awards Committee, established
by the ISHS Executive Board, currently determines the number
and the size of each award based on merit, need, and the availability
of funds. In 2006, 2007, and 2009, the Society awarded three Graduate
Student Awards. If you wish to contribute to this scholarship
fund you can make a donation with your 2010 membership application.
Read
the Fall 2009 Issue of The Humorous Times for additional information
on the scholarship fund and the Society's Scholarly Contribution
and Graduate Student Awards. The procedures for applying for
these awards can be found in Working Rules appended to the ISHS
Constitution.
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Twenty
Five Years of Developing a Community
of Humor Scholars by Alleen & Don Nilsen
Recently,
Alleen and Don Nilsen wrote for the Journal of the American
Humor Studies Association an article on their 25 years of
service to humor scholarship in the United States and internationally.
ISHS is pleased to provide this article online to our members
and others interested in humor studies. You can read the Nilsen's
story as well as a recent Danish University of Education intereview
with Don Nilsen by clicking on the links here.
Twenty
Five Years of Developing a Community of Humor Scholars
JASH
Table of Contents
Don
Nilsen Interview
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ISHS
Newsletter Archive
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